Description
THE MOBIL
ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO NEW ZEALAND
Here, for armchair and active traveller alike, is a unique visual
record of all that is worth seeing and doing in a land of remark-
able diversity and contrast – the scenic wonders, the rural
and urban landscapes and lifestyles, the wildlife, the rec-
reational and cultural facilities and the regional variations
that make New Zealand so much richer than its size and
youth would suggest.
Authors Diana and Jeremy Pope, whose Mobil New Zea-
land Travel Guides continue to provide tourists and holiday-
makers with an outstanding service, have here linked their
skills with those of photographer Martin Barriball in a nation-
wide safari that captures both the diversity and the detail
of their country.
The journey passes through some 55 self-contained re-
gions, each offering the traveller its own distinctive challenge.
These, in turn, are set against a background of 16 feature
sections which provide an overview of characteristics and en-
terprises described elsewhere in a regional or local setting.
Add to this more than 800 superb colour photographs,
taken especially for this book over an 18-month period so
as to capture the land in all its moods, and the journey be-
comes one of all-encompassing magnitude.
From north to south, from east ro west; from main high-
way to country road and all the places in between, The Mobit
Illustrated Guide to New Zealand follows an exciting course
through a country that is as remarkable for its minute detail
as for its grand scenic vistas.
Diana and Jeremy Pope
For Wellington-born Diana and Jeremy Pope, authors of the
well-known Mobil New Zealand Travel Guides: North Island
and South Island, the Mobil Illustrated Guide to New Zealand
has meant a rediscovery and reappraisal of their country.
For since the Guides were first published in the early 1970s,
the Popes have spent much of their time in Britain: Diana,
formerly in charge of the art collection at the Alexander Turn-
bull Library, is completing a diploma: in archaeology at the
University of London, and Jeremy, a lawyer and former editor
of the New Zealand Law Journal, is Director of the Legal
Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, London. As sec-
retary and legal advisor to the Commonwealth Observer
Group for the Zimbabwe Independence Elections (1980) and
legal advisor to the Commonwealth Uganda Elections Ob-
server Group (1980), he has travelled widely throughout Af-
rica and also the Caribbean – very different territory from
New Zealand, but no more rewarding in its challenge.
The Popes’ shared interests in travel, skiing, history, archi-
tecture and international affairs (and Jeremy’s declared
passion for cricket) have given them ample incentive for
maintaining strong links with New Zealand during their
absence, while at the same time they have been able to assess
the country from the standpoint of those who would see
it for the first time.
Martin Barriball
For Martin Barriball, work on The Mobil Illustrated Guide
to New Zealand involved a quite different journey of discovery.
For 18 months he travelled the length and breadth of the
country on an assignment which allowed him the unique
opportunity of seeing and photographing the land in all its
moods. The result was a collection of more than 8,000 photo-
graphs, a selection of which have been used in this vol ume.
Martin Barriball’s career dates back over many years and
a wide range of experience: first as an amateur enthusiast,
then as a darkroom processor, then as a professional who,
in 1956, gained his associateship of the Royal Photographic
Society of Great Britain. He then went on to work asa camera-
man with the New Zealand National Film Unit.
In recent years he has turned more and more to illustrative
work for books. Those so far published include Auckland
(text Gordon McLauchlan) and New Zealand: Images, Im-
pressions, a book devoted solely to his unique perception of
the country and its people. Forthcoming works based on or
including his work include New Zealand in Colour (text
Michael King); New Zealand’s North Island in Colour and New
Zealand’s South Island in Colour (text Mervyn Dykes), and
books on the A & P Show and Coromandel.
In very good to excellent preloved condition
Hardcover
208 pages